In a press release from yesterday we learned that funeral home and cemetery operator Foundation Partners Group (FPG) has acquired the end-of-life planning company Cake.  The press release, which you can access here, states “Foundation Partners Group, the second largest provider of funeral services in the United States, today announced the acquisition of Cake, a trailblazer in online end-of-life planning tools and resources that makes mortality planning more of “a piece of cake.” Cake is also a symbol of celebrating life moments and honoring life.”

Here’s what Chris Blackwell, interim CEO of Foundation Partners said in prepared statements in the press release, “We are doubling down on innovation and leading in a rapidly evolving consumer landscape in which families are looking for more modern, personalized and transparent end-of-life experiences that align with their values. . . .”

According to the press release “. . . over 100 million people have used Cake’s extensive digital catalog of more than 5,000 articles and easy to use tools to navigate the intricacies of end-of-life planning and bereavement support including wills, funeral arrangements, advance care directives, estate settlement and grief.”

Here is the website of Foundation Partners Group.

Here is the website of Cake

Tom Anderson
Funeral Director Daily

Funeral Director Daily take:  This is an interesting pairing but one that makes lots of sense to me.  Cake has the web presence that brings a lot of people with Death Care interest to their business.  Foundation Partners Group will now be able to attempt to turn those visitors to Cake into preneed clients by enticing them to look at services through their group of funeral service providers.

Foundation Partners Group has made making Death Care decisions and funerals or celebrations different into a part of who they are.  In fact, in the press release they make this comment, “In late 2021, Foundation Partners embarked on a multi-year, multi-million-dollar plan to build the funeral home of the future. We believe this means delivering experiences and serving families in the way they want, across both digital and physical environments. To that end, we’ve created the nation’s leading direct-to-consumer cremation brand with Tulip, and now we’re investing in the largest end-of-life planning platform with Cake.”

From my point of view this acquisition expands Foundation Partners Group realm into a line of service extension that might even preceed preneed. . . . that is the service of planning end-of-life issues.  When you think about it, FGP can now extend from “end-of-life planning, to preneed, to cremation”. . . . .with the consumer doing everything but the execution of the cremation online from their own home.

In essence, this acquisition helps in moving funeral service further towards the “Direct to Consumer mode”  and from “Personal” to “Convenient”. . . . . . and I think, despite traditional history, there are many consumers that may prefer that situation.

More news from the world of Death Care:

• Donnellen Funeral Home’s roots run deep in the community.  The Beverly Review (IL)
• Donnellen Funeral Home website
• Annual Report:  Inspection of Burial, Cremation, and Funeral Directors.  Scottish Government (Scotland)
• Dying harms the planet.  So California legalized human composting.  KCRW Public Media (CA)
• Indiana board orders New Albany funeral home to cease operations after dangerous conditions inside.  Video news story and print article.  WHAS Channel 11 ABC.  Louisville (KY)

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